1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image supply system for supplying image data associated with recording, an image output apparatus for outputting a color image on a recording medium upon reception of the supplied image, and an image forming system having these apparatuses and, more particularly, to a printing system for printing an image on a piece or roll of cloth used as a recording medium.
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus which is used in an image forming apparatus for repetitively forming a basic image on a recording medium, for example, a printing apparatus for printing an image on a piece of cloth used as a recording medium, and calculates consumption amounts of expendables, and an image forming system using the same.
2. Related Background Art
It is often desired to record another image data overlapping original image data (first image data) on a recording medium. For example, in the field of dressmaking, in order to cut a piece of cloth into a shape to be used in sewing, the same dress pattern as a cutting pattern is placed on a piece of cloth, and the curve of the cutting pattern is formed along the outer shape of the dress pattern on the cloth using a writing tool such as a tailor's chalk. Also, the dress pattern is placed on a piece of cloth via transfer paper such as chalk paper, and a stitch pattern drawn on the inner surface of the dress pattern is traced, thereby transferring a stitch pattern of, e.g., a pocket on the cloth.
Furthermore, information required upon sewing such as portions to be sewed up, kinds of sewing methods, and the like is often formed on a piece of cloth on the basis of information described on a dress pattern or in a manual.
Conventionally, formation of a cutting pattern, a stitch pattern, and other information on a piece of cloth is a work required in dressmaking as a process after printing. However, since this work utilizes a dress pattern or a manual, the manufacture and use of the dress pattern or the manual require much time and cost. More specifically, in the case of a manufacturer, a process of designing a dress pattern by a calculation from a human body by a skilled person or computer simulation, and then manufacturing a dress pattern or a manual which finally becomes unnecessary, is required.
On the other hand, in the case of a user, troublesome work for drawing a cutting pattern, a stitch pattern, and other information on a piece of cloth by utilizing a dress pattern is required. The stitch pattern and other information cannot be drawn without using transfer paper, and the transfer paper must also be prepared. In particular, when a normal user performs dressmaking, the user must purchase a dress pattern, and then do such troublesome task at home, thus requiring much cost and time until actual sewing work is started. Furthermore, it is timeconsuming to continue dressmaking with reference to dressmaking information described in, e.g., a manual, and a user may often refer to a wrong portion of the manual.
In order to solve these problems, an attempt has been made to record, e.g., a cutting pattern, on a piece of cloth on which an image has been recorded. However, two processes for recording images on a piece of cloth are required in correspondence with an original image, and a cutting image and the like, and a recording liquid for recording a cutting image must be devised. For example, a recording liquid which suffers less blurring must be used so as not to influence an original image, or a recording liquid which can be completely removed in postprocessing must be used, thus posing problems associated with cost.
Conventionally, an image output apparatus such as a color printer normally forms a color image received from an image supply apparatus such as a host computer on a recording medium such as a paper sheet. Most of image output apparatuses such as color printers do not accept supply of other image data during an image output operation. However, some printers, which can accept supply of other image data during an image output operation, temporarily store only image data in a separate recording apparatus, and execute the image output operations in the order of reception of image data. A printer may inform the end of recording to a host computer. A printer may receive image output requests generated from a plurality of host computers by a plurality of users.
When the recording time of an image output apparatus is long, the next image data cannot be accepted. In particular, in a printing system for forming an image on a roll of cloth, the length of cloth as a recording medium is often as large as several tens of meters, and hence, a recording time of several hours is inevitably required. As a result, the above-mentioned problem becomes more conspicuous. Also, a host computer cannot detect the image output end time. Furthermore, a user who requested output of an image cannot be specified.
In the dyeing work industries, strong demand has arisen for small-quantity/multi-item production, a short delivery term, a quick response to a change in specifications, and the like due to the nature of fashion designs, and the like. Since dyeing processes require skills, a problem associated with lack of talent is also posed. Furthermore, strong demand has arisen for an environmental countermeasure against disposal of waste dyes. Thus, as a technique for solving these problems, a plateless print technique for directly printing image data from, e.g., a computer on a piece of cloth has been developed in place of screen printing and roller printing, which use plates. In particular, application of an ink-jet print technique, a thermal transfer print technique, and the like to printing is considered as a means effective for the plateless print technique.
In the field of printing, upon cost calculation of print cloth, some items such as design cost, cloth cost, dyeing work cost, and the like are added. In the case of plateless print, ink cost and consumption cost of devices of a recording unit account for a large portion of the entire cost.
Note that the consumption cost of devices of the recording unit corresponds to a so-called ink-jet head in the ink-jet technique, and particularly corresponds to a heater unit in the thermal transfer technique. In an ink-jet system, which is expected to be a future mainstream system of the plateless printing technique, the current level of the service life of discharge openings and heating means inside these openings, which constitute a head, is about 10.sup.8 to 10.sup.9. In high-density print, since the frequency of use of the head increases, the head is used up earlier, and hence, its consumption amount becomes large. A printing ink requires a dye concentration about 10 times that of an ink of a printer for normal office equipment, which results in high cost.
In this manner, in a plateless printing apparatus which can meet demand for small-quantity/multi-item production, and the like, head cost and ink cost account for a relatively large portion of the entire cost upon execution of a cost calculation of print cloth which is performed to estimate cost or to improve productivity. For this reason, it is strongly demanded to attain easy calculations of the consumption amounts and cost of these expendables with highest precision possible.